Althouse: RFK Jr. "I am here to declare myself an independent candidate for president of the United States."

October 9, 2023

RFK Jr. "I am here to declare myself an independent candidate for president of the United States."

Expected, but, just now, official.

From "Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to Run for President as Independent, Leaving Democratic Primary/The political scion told supporters he would end his campaign as a Democratic candidate and run as an independent, potentially upsetting the dynamics of the 2024 election" (NYT).

62 comments:

RideSpaceMountain said...: "Potentially upsetting the dynamics of the 2024 election"

It will not even register as a blip in the megaton level fraud being planned for next year.; 10/9/23, 12:11 PM
Yancey Ward said...: The only position on which Kennedy is to the right of Joe Biden is on the m-RNA vaccine debate- he is otherwise firmly on the Left, including the Climate Change agenda. He will draw support from people who would otherwise vote for the Democrat candidate in the general election. Thus, I expect every state with Democrat governor/Secretary of State/State Supreme Court will work overtime to keep him off the Presidential ballot line and, failing that, they might well assassinate him. The Democrats have no intention of ever losing this next election, and will do whatever is necessary to ensure they win.; 10/9/23, 12:12 PM
Dave Begley said...: Given what his entire family did for the Dems, it was really shameful how the DNC treated Bobby. And the DNC did this to protect Joe Biden.

The Democratic Party doesn't believe in democracy.; 10/9/23, 12:13 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: He is speaking at CPAC. Why? I guess he wants to help Biden.; 10/9/23, 12:15 PM
Bob Boyd said...: I think this helps Biden, not Trump.; 10/9/23, 12:15 PM
Lars Porsena said...: He’s independent of what?; 10/9/23, 12:32 PM
Political Junkie said...: My against the grain thinking is that he will hurt DJT more than SOB Joe. But I could be wrong.; 10/9/23, 12:33 PM
Oso Negro said...: Super! The joker is in the deck.; 10/9/23, 12:37 PM
Big Mike said...: He’s waited too long; the name is no longer magical. Camelot was a long time ago, and feels very far away.; 10/9/23, 12:40 PM
chickelit said...: He should run against Trump in Iowa and New Hampshire. Trump will lose more voters than he will gain by trash-talking RFK, Jr.; 10/9/23, 12:41 PM
Kate said...: His speech went a little long for my attention span. Mostly I wanted to know how he expects to run without a formal party infrastructure. Voter enthusiasm seems like a shaky foundation, but he didn't address the issue.; 10/9/23, 12:41 PM
cubanbob said...: Although he has no chance I'm afraid like his father he may be assassinated. However his entry in the race makes it slightly more possible for Trump's reelection. Perhaps a sufficient number of Democrats are tired of Bidenomics and his obvious criminality and thus vote third party or for an independent.; 10/9/23, 12:45 PM
Temujin said...: Good. Let the games begin!; 10/9/23, 12:58 PM
hombre said...: He has many unacceptable progressive views and is likely to attract Democrat and RINO voters.; 10/9/23, 12:59 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: I would have shelved that Rocky video. Though I understand what he is going for, given his number one and number two opponents.; 10/9/23, 1:13 PM
Joe Smith said...: Not sure about this one.

Have seen analysis that shows he would take votes from both Biden and Trump.

But I think he takes more from Biden...; 10/9/23, 1:17 PM
Buckwheathikes said...: I DECLARE BANKRUPTCY CANDIDACY! - WAYNE GRETSKY - MICHAEL SCOTT - RJK; 10/9/23, 1:19 PM
Jaq said...: This is to get Joe Biden re-elected. It turns out that 54% of people will not vote for Joe Biden under any circumstance, and the number is only 46% for Donald Trump. Therefore a third party candidate is required, or Joe Biden will necessarily lose.; 10/9/23, 1:28 PM
Jaq said...: Look for Democrats to help get him on the ballot in swing states.; 10/9/23, 1:29 PM
Expat(ish) said...: If I thought he was serious I'd send him $100 to encourage him to go cause trouble....

-XC; 10/9/23, 1:36 PM
MadisonMan said...: I wish him good luck in the campaign. The hard part, of course, is getting on ballots.; 10/9/23, 1:48 PM
Enigma said...: 0% of Trump supporters will vote for RFK Jr., unless he's Trump's VP.
25% to 50% of JFK/RFK Sr./Teddy Kennedy/Bernie Bros midcentury "race blind" liberals may vote for him.

The old white liberal urban union class warfare coalition is dying off. Biden, Newsom, and RFK Jr are the last breaths of a death rattle. White males are given absolutely no power in the current Democratic Party and must serve as puppets or not at all. White voters have broken 60% for Republicans for a long while.; 10/9/23, 2:02 PM
FleetUSA said...: Dave Begley said it best.; 10/9/23, 2:19 PM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: 0% of Trump supporters will vote for RFK Jr., unless he's Trump's VP or Trump is kept off the ballot.; 10/9/23, 2:32 PM
Butkus51 said...: will make it harder to cheat

I still see Biden getting 2 billion votes, he should be safe.

what?; 10/9/23, 3:04 PM
Butkus51 said...: I like the art liberals make. Its nice art. They make nice poems too. They make great coffee. They wear purple or pink hair. Its nice.

Just dont put them in charge of anything.; 10/9/23, 3:10 PM
mikee said...: Nadler had at least the Corsair publicity behind his ignominious campaigns. This seems a lot more like Pat Paulsen running than Ross Perot.; 10/9/23, 3:17 PM
Aggie said...: Will Joe give him Secret Service protection now? I bet he doesn't.; 10/9/23, 3:26 PM
rehajm said...: A mixed bag from the commentariat…hmmmm. The tell will be how hard the media and Hawaiian judges go after him…; 10/9/23, 3:30 PM
rcocean said...: He's trying to help Biden get elected. The whole point is to siphon off independents who are upset at the status quo. RFK has zero support among Blacks, Jews, and other groups that vote mainly D.

The key demographic RFK is trying to siphon off is working class Catholics who are swing voters. They usually favor Biden and the D's but are pissed off over the state of the Country. RFK gives them a way to vent their anger while not helping Trump.; 10/9/23, 3:35 PM
JIM said...: If the upcoming presidential election wasn't already rigged by Democrats and their NGO network, this might be "something".; 10/9/23, 3:41 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: I’m curious as to what route Trump is going to take with him.

If Trump skipping the debates is any indication, don’t treat RFK Jr as a threat until he becomes one.

Show your soft side towards the tragic family namesake. That plays well with the women vote, which Trump is going to have to pay more attention to after the results of that civil trial in NYC.; 10/9/23, 3:43 PM
Political Junkie said...: As several folks have said, Trump supporters will not vote for RFK. I agree.
However, Trump did well in 2016 and 2020 with previous nonvoters. I can see some previous nonvoters pulling the lever for RFK and not DJT. Maybe an attraction to old Kennedy memories, maybe they like Curb Your Enthusiasm, or maybe some aren't down with DJT schtick.; 10/9/23, 3:46 PM
Oh Yea said...: Despite some of the wishful comments above, the net result would be devastating to Biden if he runs against Trump. However, if it is Biden versus another republican, it is conceivable that many in the Trump core would vote for RFK Jr as a protest vote.; 10/9/23, 3:53 PM
Mike of Snoqualmie said...: But, according to Rob Reiner, aka Meathead (richly deserved), this is the end of democracy!; 10/9/23, 3:59 PM
Mike of Snoqualmie said...: RFK, Jr. is a loon. But, he's an honest loon, sincere in his beliefs. Unlike Joe "China owns me!" Biden, who will do anything for any foreign potentate for the right price.; 10/9/23, 4:03 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: I think RFK Jr was here in ATL on October 1st. The reason I know the date is because I snapped a picture of a trailer with a big sign saying "Reclaim Democracy - Kennedy For President 2024" outside an event the rideshare driver app told me had a surge.

I thought of posting it at X but, I don't know about twitter. I had ideas of paying for it at one point. But when I go there, discussions lean towards the strident and vituperative. Ideas of coming back (I was a twiiter aficionado) have stalled.; 10/9/23, 4:07 PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: Hard to say who this hurts. There's way more antipathy to the Kennedy's among conservatives than all the Camelot jive would suggest. And Democrats are lemmings. And, as suggested above, the average LIV has no idea who JFK was, never mind RFK.; 10/9/23, 4:08 PM
GRW3 said...: If you voted for Biden last time and feel ill, go ahead and vote for RFK. If you voted for Trump last time and are thinking about voting for RFK, go ahead and vote for Biden directly.; 10/9/23, 4:25 PM
Jaq said...: Trump needs a coalition of his supporters and those utterly disgusted with Biden. The latter are whom RFK jr is going after.; 10/9/23, 4:26 PM
Readering said...: So now my primary choice is Marianne Williamson?; 10/9/23, 4:33 PM
Kate said...: "The only position on which Kennedy is to the right of Joe Biden is on the m-RNA vaccine debate- he is otherwise firmly on the Left, including the Climate Change agenda."

Not really. I'm not here to sell Bobby -- he'd still be a Democrat if the DNC would give him a fair shot -- but if you think he's left of Biden on every other issue, check your sources.; 10/9/23, 4:34 PM
Mark said...: Begley dreams of an American royal family lol

"Given what his entire family did for the Dems, it was really shameful how the DNC treated Bobby"; 10/9/23, 4:58 PM
Mutaman said...: Dave Begley said...

"Given what his entire family did for the Dems, it was really shameful how the DNC treated Bobby. And the DNC did this to protect Joe Biden.

The Democratic Party doesn't believe in democracy."

Democratic Party is rigged-they let Black people vote.; 10/9/23, 5:01 PM
Chick said...: If RFKjr campaigns but the media doesn't report it, does he have a campaign?; 10/9/23, 5:05 PM
Ampersand said...: All of the 2024 presidential election outcomes that I consider likely are awful, by which I mean that we will get an unacceptable degree of incompetence, dishonesty, and angry polarization, while our culture continues to decay. On the less dark side, we may escape WW3.

I'm just going to do my best to refrain from worrying about things I can't control. I think this is good advice for all of us.; 10/9/23, 5:06 PM
Clyde said...: He picked a bad day to do it. The news cycle is all about the Israel-Hamas war. If a tree falls in the forest and everyone is watching the news from the Middle East, does it make a sound?; 10/9/23, 5:48 PM
William said...: It would be nice to have a President who's deluded rather than demented....As the country and the international situation further deteriorate, a great many people will have trouble voting for Biden. Maybe some will vote for Trump, but this gives hard core Dems another choice beyond staying home.... Or maybe they won't let Biden run at all. He's clearly too old and out of it and everyone except Jill knows it.; 10/9/23, 6:12 PM
Paul said...: F*ckup Biden... yea that won't bother me one bit.

If ever there was a person that needs to be gone... Biden needs it. Pity we have to wait 4 years for that pox to go.; 10/9/23, 7:54 PM
Kakistocracy said...: Kennedy, is someone who wants to betray Ukraine to Putin's attack, and who spews COVID conspiracy theories? Who do you imagine that appeals to more? Biden's voters? Or Trump's voters?

Kennedy will succeed only in spoiling Trump's chances to win (if he ever had any). All it takes is whittling a few percentage points' worth of Trump voters away from Trump, those who believe all the COVID conspiracy-theory babbling and anti-Ukraine pro-Putin stuff, for Trump's candidacy to be done for. Remember, he only won in 2016 by 78,000 votes, and he lost in 2020 already. I welcome his candidacy.; 10/9/23, 8:00 PM
Christopher B said...: Trump in 2016 actually got a greater percentage of votes from self-identified Republicans than Hillary did Democrats. Trump won several states by a margin less than the total of third party votes in the state. Nobody who wants Trump to win will vote for RFKjr but people who don't want to vote for either Trump or Biden may have the option of a recognizable name, even if it's a long shot. Biden is going to have a harder time running as "not Trump" in a race with a third option.; 10/9/23, 8:06 PM
walter said...: Blogger Rich said...
Remember, he only won in 2016 by 78,000 votes, and he lost in 2020 already. I welcome his candidacy.
--
Dick's all in for 4 more with Joementia.; 10/9/23, 8:49 PM
Maynard said...: I suspect that disaffected Democrats will protest vote for Bobby Jr rather than Trump.

Soviet Democrats are firmly behind their leader, whomever that might be. That's 47% of the vote.

At age 70, I expect there will never be a non-Democrat POTUS in my lifetime.; 10/9/23, 10:33 PM
Kakistocracy said...: @ Walter: Team MAGA practically worship RFK Jr. for his anti-vaccine stances alone. Many of them haven't forgotten that Trump originally bragged that he gave the fast track approval to the first COVID vaccine. Definitely an issue to exploit with the types of MAGA's who wrapped their cell phones in aluminum foil last week to avoid the emergency alert test. As an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist, RFK’s “values” reflect the GOP far more closely than the Democratic Party. Interesting how they embrace the nut jobs until it doesn’t suit them.; 10/10/23, 6:09 AM
Enigma said...: @Rich: "Trump voters away from Trump, those who believe all the COVID conspiracy-theory babbling"

Trump is a germophobe who bragged long and hard about his vax developments with Operation Warpspeed. He also pushed the vaccines after leaving office. The anti-vax crowd was split left/right until Biden became a censorious pro-vax autocrat in hopes of "moving on" to his other agenda items in 2021. Walensky was removed from the CDC per severe administration errors with masks and ivermectin and more. Many center or center left people have sincere concerns about vaccines, including lefty vax cancel targets Dr. John Campbell, Joe Rogan, and Russell Brand. In sum, both Trump and Biden are pro vax so this topic can't harm Trump more than Biden.

"anti-Ukraine pro-Putin stuff"

This point is moot. Most everyone accepts that Ukraine isn't going to win and are winding down spending. Now that NATO has Israel/Gaza as a playground of death, Ukraine will be a distant memory. It'll become part of the Afghanistan-Ukraine-Israel discussion. Biden certainly can't win a debate about Afghanistan. At best he's even with Trump on foreign policy, and has fallen behind Trump on border security (just ask every NY and Illinois politician).; 10/10/23, 7:08 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: All three of them are too old - but of the three - RFK jr. is the most articulate.

RFK jr. will have a voting base of some sort.

I won't vote for him - he's far too left - but he is correct about illegal entrants and he is right about the m-RNA forced jab tyranny of the corrupt big pharma left. (Fauci belongs in prison); 10/10/23, 9:08 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Rich - Stick with your corrupt crook Biden. All the way, man. You know the thing.; 10/10/23, 9:09 AM
Robert Cook said...: "Thus, I expect every state with Democrat governor/Secretary of State/State Supreme Court will work overtime to keep him off the Presidential ballot line and, 'failing that, they might well assassinate him. The Democrats have no intention of ever losing this next election, and will do whatever is necessary to ensure they win.'"

Spoken like a true kook!; 10/10/23, 10:04 AM
walter said...: I love how Rich so deftly deconstructs jab concerns. Powerful. Insightful.
But in the end, he gets off on anything that leads to four more years of Joementia.
I hope he consults with Inga re high density bunk beds so he can do his part to support the invasion of the US.; 10/10/23, 12:09 PM
walter said...: Jab on!
https://www.igor-chudov.com/p/covid-vaccines-damage-all-hearts?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2; 10/10/23, 12:15 PM
Mutaman said...: walter said...

"Jab on!
https://www.igor-chudov.com/p/covid-vaccines-damage-all-hearts?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2'

When I want medical info, "Igor's Newsletter" is always my go to source. Where were people like Walter educated? Trump University?; 10/10/23, 9:21 PM
walter said...: Mutaman,
If you read it you would see the study involved.
But..you'd rather ad hominem.
Science!
(Get jabbed); 10/10/23, 9:50 PM